Method of feeding material to and from vacuum-driers.



F. J. STOKES. DING MATERIAL To AND PROM VACUUM DRIERS. APPLIGATION FILEDMAR.19,19U9.

METHOD OF FEE F. J. STOKES.

METHOD 0F FBBDING MATERIAL To AND PROM VACUUM DRIERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.19, 1909.

1,080,602, Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

2 sums-SHEET 2.

W/TA/ESSES: /NVENTR Francais rf/Ses @AVL ra sbwwq TTOHNEK 'rnANcIs J.STORES, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

v-Maanen or FEEDING xArEnIAL 'ro AND Enom vAcUuM-Dmsns.

' Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Application led March 19, 1909. Serial No. 484,484.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. S'roKEs, a

citizen of the United States, and a residentl of Philadelphia, in thecounty of phia and State of Pennsylvania, vented a certain new anduseful Method of Feeding Material to or from Vacuum- Driers, of whichthe following is a specification.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide forcontinuously or intermittently feeding pulverulent or powdered materialpast a wall or partition, upon opposite sides of which there is adifference of pressure .or atmospheric condition, without disturbingsuch difference and without the use of valves and the like, or morespecifically stated, to provide for c ontinuously feeding pulverulent orpowdered material into and out of a vacuum drier without materiallyinterfering with the vacuum.

To this and other ends hereinafter set forth the invention stated ingeneral terms comprises the method of feeding pulverulent material pasta partition, u on opposite sides of which there is a di erence ofpressure or atmospheric condition, which consists in establishing asuitable or restricted opening or passage through the partition andsealing the opening or passage to maintain such difference by packingthe material therein as it is passed or fed therethrough. This methodmay be applied to various uses and it may be practised by variousinstrumentalities, however.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1, is a view principally in sectionillustrating Philadelthe invention 1n application to a so-called andFigs. 2 and 3, are views principally in central section, drawn to anenlarged scale, and illustrating types of apparatus by means of whichthe invention can be practised.

Referring to 1,

rotary vacuum drier,

1 is the shell of a rotary vacuum drier, 2 is a connection by means ofwhich a more or less perfect vacuum is maintained in the shell orcasing 1. 3, is a revoluble stirrer which is turned by means of theconnection 4 and through which steam or the'like is passed by means ofthe connections 5. 6, is the inlet and 7 is the outlet. The shell orcasing 1 is shown as jacketed and steam heated by means of theconnections 8. ln this machine there is a dierence of atmosphericpressure between have 1nthe inside and outside of the shell or casing 1which shell or casing therefore constitutes a partition upon oppositesides of which there is a difference in pressure. In accordance with myinvention this shell is provided at the inlet and outlet with a passageor opening. Referring to the inlet this passage or opening is shown at 9and referring to the outlet it is shown at 10. The pulverulent materialentering at the inlet is fed continuously and in passing through thepassage or opening 9 packs and seals it so that the vacuum or dierenceof atmospheric pressure between the inside and outside of the shell orcasing is maintained. A screw 11, mounted for revolution and drivencontinuously as by means of the worm, wormwheel and driving pulley 12,is an appropriate means for continuously feeding the pulverulentmaterial and packing it to cause it to seal the passage or openingthrough which it passes. 13, is a hopper fitted with suitable stirringmechanism as 14 and is an example of means for supplying the pulverulentmaterial to the screw. At the discharge end the screw is shown at 15 asdriven by the worm-wheel, worm and pulley 16, so that the screw 15continuously feeds pulverulent material from the vacuum chamber to theoutside and at the same time packs it in passing through the passage oropening, thus causing it to seal the same. A weighted normally closedvalve 18, may be provided for sealing the outlet until such time as thepulverulent material commences to be discharged therefrom. Similarly' avalve 19 may be provided for closing the inlet while the materialcontained in the drier is discharged therefrom.

In Fig. 2, a plunger 20 reciprocated by means of the pitman 22, isanother means for continuously feeding the pulverulent material from thehopper 23 and packing it in the opening or passage 21, so as to seal thesame. The revoluble toothed wheels 24: and 25, arranged in the casing26, (F ig. 3) are another means and packing the pulverulent material inthe passage or opening 27, so as to seal the same.

What I claim is,

1. The process of feeding powdered material from the chamber of a vacuumdrier through a passage sealed by an automatically closing valve adaptedlto open outwardly, which consists in packing or crowding the materialin said passage against the for continuously feeding inlet side of thevalve so as to normally hold said valve open,l and permitting the com-10 the automatic valve open and act in lieu pacted materialtoact in lieuthereof to'seal thereof to seal the passa e. the passa e.

2. The process of feedln powderedma- In testimony whereof I havehereuntoterial to and from the cham er of a vacuum signed my name.

drier through a valved assage which con- FRANCIS J. STOKES. sists inpacking or crowding the material in In the presence ofsaid passageagainst the inlet side of the 'CLIFFORD H. Caesar.,

valve so as to compact the material, holding K. M. GILLIAN.

